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Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga has pleaded with motorists who are making their way back from the Easter holidays to respect the rules of the road.
Five years ago, when Blade Nzimande was the minister of transport, he appealed for the same thing from road users, as many ministers before him.
From 18 to 21 April 2019, Nzimande reported 80 crashes where deaths occurred.
READ: RTMC urges drivers to use car seats to ensure child safety this Easter Weekend
He said:
Five years later, while assisting traffic officials in manning a roadblock at the Mariannhill Toll Plaza in KwaZulu-Natal, where many vehicles are leaving the province, Chikunga said motorists become negligent when they are drunk.
READ: Staying safe on the road this Easter: Essential tips for road trippers
She said:
Chikunga said many of these accidents occurred at night due to drunk people.
Citing last Thursday's Limpopo accident that claimed the lives of 45 congregants from Botswana who were headed to the special Easter service and conference hosted by the Zion Christian Church, in Moria, Limpopo, Chikunga said they did not expect any decrease in road fatalities this year.
Chikunga stated that although they were not yet releasing numbers, they were keeping an eye on the general trends.
Chikunga said that they had already pulled 21 taxis from the road between 7am and 11 am alone, several of which were not fit for use on the road.
During the taxi crackdown, she said some vehicles lacked operating permits and some had faulty brakes, while others were driven by unlicensed drivers.
“So, we just removed that taxi from the road and allowed them to call another taxi to come and take the passengers so that they could continue with their trip,” she added.
